Surrey win County Championship for third year running

Surrey person won a 3rd consecutive County Championship rubric aft Somerset's decision by Lancashire.

Somerset had to triumph astatine Old Trafford to support their hopes of a archetypal ever region rubric live heading into the past circular of games, but they suffered a 168-run decision connected the last morning.

Surrey, who go champions for the 23rd clip overall, bushed Durham by 10 wickets connected Thursday.

Lifting the trophy successful 2022, 2023 and 2024 means this radical of Surrey players person etched their sanction into County Championship immortality.

They person go the archetypal squad since Yorkshire 56 years agone to triumph 3 titles successful succession.

Surrey won 7 successful a enactment from 1952 to 1958 having besides won the precise archetypal three, and 5 of the archetypal six, successful the 1890s.

But they are inactive 10 abbreviated of Yorkshire, who person won 33 successful total.

"It's a full squad, radical of unit coming unneurotic and putting successful a heck of a batch of enactment implicit a agelong play of time," Surrey caput manager Gareth Batty told Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.

"To bash it 3 times successful a enactment is precise satisfying. We shall bask contiguous and past commencement the hard enactment time to bash it each again.

“Every clip you get implicit the enactment it's the hardest 1 due to the fact that different teams are trying to adjacent the gap, trying to amended their squads, amended their players.

“I consciousness similar we are inactive keeping immoderate distance, successful a healthy, assured way, not successful an arrogant way, due to the fact that we're moving incredibly hard trying to amended our performances twelvemonth successful and twelvemonth out.

“The T20 Blast we utilized 25 players successful 15 games and successful the Championship it was 24 oregon 25. Some counties don't person that size of squad.

“So to person the rotation of players, to person the tenacity, the belief, the accomplishment set, to travel successful and inactive beryllium playing arsenic a fantastic XI is simply a recognition to each azygous person. It's the staff, it's the players, it's the drive."

Batty said the triumph was besides a fitting mode to people the extremity of Alec Stewart's tenure arsenic Surrey manager of cricket astatine The Oval.

"He is irreplaceable," Batty added. "Anyone who thinks they tin bash what Alec Stewart has done present is delusional.

"He is the heartbeat, helium is the brains - everything present comes done Alec. Three connected the bounce is fitting.

"Alec volition beryllium present for years and years, conscionable successful a somewhat antithetic capableness we hope, but I deliberation it's precise fitting for a antheral who has dedicated a immense proportionality of his beingness - and his household besides - to this club.

"You don't often get a cuddle and a spot of a teardrop from Stewie, but erstwhile the Lancs boys got the last wicket determination was a large outburst of emotion.

"It was fantastic to spot an iconic English cricketer get immoderate rewards for his dedication and the nine volition everlastingly beryllium thankful to him."

As 1 mightiness expect from a squad packed with internationals, Surrey were without the services of galore players astatine 1 constituent oregon different passim the season.

They person utilized 23 players successful this campaign, with lone skipper Rory Burns, chap opener Dom Sibley and all-rounder Jordan Clark playing each 13 matches.

Burns has led the mode with the bat, scoring 3 centuries and 1,057 runs – helped mostly by his career-best 227 successful a thumping triumph against Lancashire astatine The Oval successful August.

Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith catapulted his mode into England's Test broadside with immoderate dazzling batting displays to mean northbound of 56 successful his 9 matches, portion Dan Lawrence has averaged conscionable nether 50 pursuing his high-profile power from Essex.

More than a twelve bowlers picked up wickets crossed the play - paceman Dan Worrall starring the mode with 52 astatine an mean of 16.15.

Clark showed wherefore helium is 1 of the astir invaluable assets successful region cricket, taking 38 wickets on with scoring 467 runs down the order.

Cameron Steel acceptable an unthinkable gait backmost successful the spring, starring each bowlers successful the archetypal 3 rounds of the Championship with 20 wickets – though the leg-spinner has lone picked up 3 since.

But adjacent play volition spot a immense alteration successful southbound London arsenic manager of cricket and Surrey fable Stewart steps down. How large an effect that has remains to beryllium seen.